Pleasant or annoying? Could the noises you make while fiddling with your EDC items bother those around you?

    As the saying goes, “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.” Before I ever tried a fidget spinner, I just thought it was a cool little gadget—nice to hold, flashy to look at, even fun for the occasional satisfying click. But once I actually owned a few and started pulling one out of my pocket whenever I felt like it, a thought hit me: would that noise bother the people around me?

    My days are pretty routine—either I’m at the same spot or on my way there. To kill time, I often carry a few EDC toys. When I zone out, I’ll unconsciously pull one out of my pocket, feeling its texture and listening to that crisp click-clack. It relaxes me and eases my tension.

    Then, out of nowhere, I heard a strange sound and snapped my eyes open. I realized someone on the subway was staring right at me—and then at the Skybreaker I was playing with. Did I annoy them? I don’t know, but to avoid any conflict, I quickly tucked my toys away.

    When my stop came, I stepped off like usual—and felt someone jogging up behind me. I turned, alert, and saw it was the same person who’d been watching me earlier.

    “Hey, uh. Sorry I didn’t say hello earlier—I was just curious what you were holding. It looked really cool.”

    When I heard that, I let out a huge sigh of relief—I thought I was about to get called out. I pulled the toy out of my pocket and handed it to him, smiling, “It’s this—just something I play with to kill time.”

    He took it and fiddled with it, and I listened to the Skybreaker’s crisp, satisfying clicks. In that moment, I felt a rush of pride, like my favorite gadget was finally getting some love. After a bit, he handed it back and said, “Man, I’ve gotta admit, this is pretty fun.”

    I was all set to rave about its features, but then he added, “But, dude, I also have to say—hearing all that clinking on the subway really bugged me.”

    Instantly, I felt my face flush with embarrassment and frustration. “Just as I feared,” I thought, “my worst worry came true.”

    I froze, not sure what to say next. He probably saw my discomfort, because he went on, “Hey, it’s really no big deal—just relax. I mean no harm. I just wanted to let you know that while you’re having fun, others might not feel the same. Some people could even find it annoying, and the worst part is you might not even realize it.”

    His genuine kindness hit me, and I snapped back to reality and thanked him.

    Later, we connected on WhatsApp, and I properly thanked him. As a true ESFJ, I’m always worried about what others think—I love getting praise, or at least not being a nuisance.

    He told me straight up that he was annoyed by the noise on the subway and gave me “the look” to stop, but he was curious too—he’d never seen a toy like that before. After we got off, he chased me down to say the clicks could bother people, though he admitted he just wanted a closer look at my EDC items.

    I explained that the Skybreaker is a fidget slider with a built-in tuning fork that gives a crisp ping—making it hard to ignore. I did worry it might annoy others, but hadn’t really thought it through. I promised him I’d be more mindful next time.

    His words made me realize that, while fidget EDC toys really help me relax and ease stress, they can also distract those around me and stir up unpleasant feelings.

    Later, I showed him a bunch of cool EDC items. His name is Finnegan, but I just call him Finn. Even after that subway incident, I still carry my favorite fidget toy whenever I head out. The only change is that in public I steer clear of tuning-fork or other noisy toys and opt for ones made of PEEK or designs that won’t bother anyone around me.

    There’s no denying that most fidget toys and EDC items make noise when you play with them—and that noise can bug the people around you. But I believe a toy’s impact really comes down to its owner. I love sharing my favorite gadgets so others can discover and enjoy them too. That’s why I do my best to keep my toys from creating negative vibes—after all, they’re meant to help you unwind, not pass your stress onto someone else.

    “If you’re wondering whether EDC items are noisy or pleasant, I’d say it really depends on who’s using them.”